Chapter 25 - In Ba Sing Se
Fast, terrifying and powerful - these were the epithets that could be used to describe Koch as he raced through the forest. His aura made the spirits freeze, and no one could escape. The only question I asked myself was: what should I do with all the servants he would capture and scare? There were thousands of spirits, some casting evil illusions, others overwhelming passing travellers with their sheer numbers. In short, they were the dregs of the spirit world, a kind of ghetto. I thought about it for exactly one second, until I realised that there was nothing to be done. Such is the fate of weak spirits — they cannot cause anyone any trouble, and I would not have to waste any attention on them if Koch Schrödinger sent their souls into a state of uncertainty, a state between life and death.
Only the strongest and most useful could be taken, and my new pet should be able to handle the task of elimination, but not killing, perfectly well.
"Well, Afka, do you see now what my plan has led to? Just one spirit, but now we can stop thinking about how to neutralise the next moth, as long as we don't kill it," I stroked her head contentedly. "What do you say now, did Wang Shi Tong's bet pay off?
"It's still as cruel as ever, but with you, you somehow get used to it. Fyurk, but you'll be helping someone a lot with this," she massaged her muzzle discontentedly and focused her attention on the one who wanted my attention the most. Kuruk stood five steps away from us, breathing heavily and clutching his heart. Something was definitely wrong with him. I would describe it as if you had been in a prolonged depression lasting about three hundred years and suddenly felt the taste of life again. He had restored his heart and, along the way, mended his hope, which had been torn to shreds.
His wife must still be somewhere in the spirit world. Koch only had her face, but now that she was free, Kuruk's head was spinning. The bonds were restored, and it was like a sweet intoxication, a pleasure he hadn't felt in a very, very long time.
"Will you sing my praises, or will you stop making a fool of yourself, stop acting like a moron, and go after her?
"... With pleasure," he said with a satisfied smile, beginning to literally disappear. It was as if he was slowly fading into nothingness, and in his place, a bald monk was slowly appearing. Honestly, I would have preferred Kuruk to be in Aang's place, he is not so easily influenced by the nomads and sees the world with a clearer view," "From now on, I will help you with double the effort, I will convey our point of view and its benefits to Aang, I will not let you be betrayed. But for now, I need to finally see her.
Poof, and he disappeared, leaving the boy kneeling in his place. Even Azula showed some disappointment — the great figure who was considered a hero in her country had suddenly ceased to be anything.
"Well, at least I can take pleasure in knowing that his wife won't be well; three hundred years of abstinence doesn't just go away. Although, can spirits do that? She thought hard, catching my meaningful glance, but a moment later, the hem of my trousers was grabbed tightly.
Aang crawled over and looked up at me with a very dissatisfied expression. His face was contorted, despite the peaceful outcome. Could it be that he still hadn't accepted the idea of a peaceful world? No, it was more likely his obsession with preserving the identity of all living beings, including spirits... but were those really his thoughts?
"I thought we could come to an agreement. I wanted to live in a world of peace, I wanted to use this swamp to drive all the spirits angry at humans here!
Look how angry he is — apparently, his restrained emotions have finally come pouring out. It's as if I've shattered his only hope for compromise, and with the swamp destroyed, there really are no more peaceful solutions. However, considering that during all the recent elections Anubis didn't hint at a peaceful solution, there simply weren't any. They were just Aang's fantasies, nothing more.
"And now... we really have to fight them all, because they won't back down," he said, falling to his knees and staring blankly at my stone boots. He realised that he couldn't deceive himself any longer.
"Nothing you came up with would have worked. Believe me, I thought of many moves, and people like this Koh would never let someone like me go. You heard what he was willing to do, and there are dozens, if not hundreds, like him. But now we can finally join forces," and he held out his hand to him. Now was the best chance to win Aang back to our side. After all, he understood my goal and even made a lot of concessions to himself. It was worth it, if only for Kuruka.
"How annoying is this endless whining about how the spirits must be preserved," Azula agreed with me at that moment. "If the spirits wanted to help us, they could have made a deal with the humans long ago, but no, humans must be punished for any reason — oh, poor us. And when you exterminate them in response, they cry out about imbalance, poor things.
It was even cruel, but still effective. It was clear that Azula was only playing to herself, hoping to turn their strongest weapon against the spirits, but her words did have a real effect on him. And while he was making further concessions to his religion, I called over Appa. Bison sat down with considerable caution, still remembering the face of that terrifying creature, but trusting my permission. As I stroked his nose, a small girl jumped off the saddle and stared silently at my back, clenching her fists, holding her breath and hoping to get at least a word from me.
"Hello, little one," I said, turning halfway around when I saw a smile spread across her doubt-filled face. Judging by her emotions, Aang's opinion didn't seem to have influenced her at all. It was more like she was just playing the role of a teacher, all so she could meet me. "You've grown quite pretty."
"And are you still beating everyone up? "Honestly, I have a complaint about how you trained Aang. His earth magic was useless, and I told you that you were a terrible teacher. My words were true!
And she looked at me with such a condescending gaze, as if she were looking at a servant. But in her case, it was just part of a larger, mocking image, so I forgave her. But after her, Sokka approached, and then Katara. Everyone was happy to see each other again, but there was tension in the air — the war, the campaigns, the mocking gaze of the Fire Nation princess, and Aang kneeling on the ground did not contribute to a good atmosphere. On top of that, it was unclear what decision Aang would make and whether we would really part as friends. So everyone stared at him.
He had to give his verdict, even though I already knew what it would be.
"Hey, is it true that Azula is now your right-hand woman? What about me?" Sokka was his usual self, ruining the atmosphere and doing his own thing.
"You can challenge her if you want. The winner will be the commander," I said lazily, and there was a crack of lightning in the distance. Azula glanced maliciously at the guy with the boomerang and bow.
"... Fine, I'll give that spot to some girl.
At that moment, Aang stood up, looked at us both from under his eyebrows for a couple of seconds, broke the silence and said quietly:
"The duties of the Avatar cannot be fulfilled," his conclusion brought a smile to my face. How good it is to be right. Many Avatars before me tried to maintain this balance, but they failed. Even Yangchen. No matter how much she promoted her diplomacy, all the nomads knew about her greatest failure: she had failed to negotiate with the powerful steel spirit, falling in the eyes of their entire community.
"That's right," I agreed, folding my arms across my chest.
"That's why I'll support you.
"...
Now that's strange. I opened my eyes so wide that it caused confusion among the team, all because I sincerely thought that he would either respond evasively or dismiss me, accepting only some of the facts I had stated. The fortune teller, and now me, can say for sure that I will have a fierce battle with the Avatar. I feel that Aang poses a threat, and victory is no longer so likely to be mine, but...
Could it be that it's about other Avatars? The spirit may be hinting that the threat will come specifically because of Aang's existence, and who will control the body is irrelevant. The culprit is most likely clear — Roku. He has the most motivation to do this, his damn dragon is as crazy as he is.
"Listen, Aang, you're my friend, right?
"Huh? Well, sort of... yes, why? - he shrugged his shoulders, not understanding why I had come so close.
"Can you stop letting other Avatars into your body? "It's not a body, it's a revolving door," Toof sneered.
"But it's not entirely within my power. Sometimes I end up in places where other Avatars may be bound, and then they push me out of my body. And you can weaken me by allowing other souls to take over my body," he said irritably, rubbing the spot where I had hit him before summoning Kuruka. That was indeed his main problem — anyone could use his body! That's why I didn't want to work with spirits for so long; there was a high risk of becoming a person with low social responsibility.
"Whore," or so Azula said.
However, while Aang was messing with my assistant, I thought about it and decided to accept it. If Aang is always on my side now, I don't need anyone else. With his power, we'll be able to close the remaining portals, and that's the main thing. And if Roku or someone else shows up, I'll just predict his attack and fight back, and if he takes too long, I'll teach Aang to control his soul. All that remained was to decide what to do next... After all, I had no idea what the world outside the swamp was like now, or how badly the war against the spirits had escalated.
"Choose:
1 - United (The world has been plunged into a war that may seem worse than centuries of bloodshed. A pre-emptive strike prevented the spirits from gaining immense power, but the strongest among them have already gathered an army or are single-handedly destroying all of humanity. Use your allies and Koh's power to crush them all. Be careful, the absence of believers will greatly weaken most of the spirits. Your relationship with some of the Avatars will be irrevocably broken.)"
2 - Pacifism (To be peaceful, you must be threatening. Defeat all the higher spirits, thereby destroying their command, but then conclude a truce with them. Set your terms and look down on the horde of obedient servants. Your relationship with the Avatars will become peaceful).
3 - Good Ally (This option can be combined with the first or second. Ozai continues to stick to his plans and intends to conquer the world himself. However, if you capture Ba Sing Se first and Zuko betrays his father, you will have the opportunity to use the Fire Lord as a combat unit. Send him against the spirits)
4 - Portal Slayer (The spirits still have reinforcements, which you can destroy by dealing with the weak points at the two poles. Note that since you have established good relations with Aang, he will be able to do this quickly. This option can be combined with the first one. You will gain full access to both worlds thanks to Wang Shi Tong)
"Fuck pacifism," no matter how long I've been pushing for world peace, some sneaky bastards always find a way to screw me over. In my case, it's easier to have a bunch of defeated slaves than subservient allies.
Besides, no one has cancelled the agreement with Wang Shi Tong. I also want unlimited knowledge and excellent relationships.
***
In order for our war to proceed smoothly, it was necessary not only to distribute the available people, but also to find out where the biggest problems were. There was no point in talking about the two poles, as there would surely be the most spirits there due to the not-so-closed portals, but Aang and his team would have to deal with that. As for the rest...
Azula and I wanted to head for the shores of the Earth Kingdom, as General Old Iron was supposed to be there. Another problem would be in the skies - as soon as we left the swamp, we saw giant storm clouds on the horizon. Lightning flashed as if the world had gone mad. We needed airships more than ever, but it would be difficult to get rid of the unknown spirit that was shooting them down. This is where Ozai was supposed to come to the rescue - with his powerful lightning and scorching fire, it would be easier for him to deal with such a problem. Once these tasks were completed, it would be easier to weaken the other spirits. But we would have to wait for news from Ty Lee.
"The storm should be almost ready, but Tai Li is having trouble getting support while the foolish king is convinced that all is well in the world." Their army and natural resources play a decisive role in determining which side the remaining mortals will take. "We just need to help her a little, and she'll take care of the rest... I think I know what to do."
"Azula," I said, looking grimly at my assistant, and abruptly turned my lizard around. "We're not going to the sea. We'll set Old Iron against Ba Sing Se and defeat him there. But I want the drill to be in place by then."
"But how will you...?" she asked, surprised, raising her eyebrows in disapproval. "Damn spy."
"There's a little. But this is no time to whine. It's time to suffer.